Asural, Desmond, 10416 P.C.

Todd's eyes snapped open. He was in his room — well, his room in the Refuge Sanctuary. It had slowly started feeling like home, but not in the way his true home had ever felt. Home was with his parents, not here or even with Henry and Cathy. He wondered if he'd ever feel at home again.

The room was quiet. A glance at his clock told him that it was seven in the morning. He rubbed his eyes and sat up. Had he slept through his alarm, or had it not gone off? Usually, Benjamin expected him in the TR room at the crack of dawn — what would be dawn, Todd trusted, if he could have seen it. But his six o'clock alarm had not gone off.

He remembered in a beat. Benjamin had given him the day off so he could help Stephanie and Annabella with prep for their trip. It filled Todd with a sense of dread. Annabella had brushed off his dark feelings about them leaving him, but the feelings just wouldn't go away. He just had the terrible sense that something horrible was going to happen, something he had to somehow stop.

Dressing quickly, Todd hurried to the cafeteria where he knew breakfast was about to be served for the early risers. Annabella would be there, as sharp as ever, pouring over her plans, and Stephanie might have gotten up early as well. Or so he thought. When he entered the room, neither of the girls were to be found. Only a few kids milled around, chattering at their tables. One of the younger boys called Todd from across the room, inviting him to join his table, but Todd was too distracted to notice. He found Jessie sitting alone at one of the tables, and he hurried over.

"Jess, you know where the girls are?" he asked quickly.

She looked up, blinking tiredly at him. "Huh?"

"Todd." He turned at Colette's voice. She was walking toward him, looking a bit frazzled, something that was rather unusual for her. It didn't help the growing unease in his chest.

"Where are they?" he demanded.

She sat down on the bench beside Jessie, who barely gave her a glance as she nibbled on her food. "Sit, Todd."

"Where are—?"

"Just sit down, please." Colette sounded exhausted, and Todd knew better than to try a girl's patience. He sat down across from them, eyeing her carefully.

"They're gone." He hadn't expected her to say it so bluntly; it felt like a slap in his face. "They left an hour ago."

"Why? They weren't supposed to leave until tomorrow!"

Colette sighed. "Annabella is an infuriating woman, as I'm sure you well know. She just couldn't wait, I guess."

Todd didn't know what to feel. Betrayed? Angry? Abandoned? All of the above? "They didn't even say goodbye," he whispered.

"Annabella is not the sentimental kind. Stephanie sends her love, though. Annabella wouldn't let her wake you."

Since when did Stephanie let Annabella dictate her life? Todd raked his fingers through his hair, letting out a bitter laugh. "Yeah, 'cause she knew I'd be mad."

"She does that to people a lot."

Todd took a deep breath, struggling to process the emotions inside of him. Yes, he felt abandoned. Betrayed. Hurt — very hurt that they wouldn't even say goodbye. What if he never saw them again? What if they never came back, like his parents?

"Why is she like this?" he burst out. "Why does she hate me so much?"

Jessie spoke before Colette did. "She doesn't hate you."

"No, she doesn't," Colette agreed — rather bitterly, he noted. "Annabella is... hurting. She distances herself from everyone because she's afraid to care about them. That's what Benjamin constantly tells me anyway. He seems to think that she's somehow justified in her bitterness. She's built these walls to, like, lock herself in and keep everyone out because the moment she starts to care about you suddenly she's vulnerable. And she doesn't like showing any weaknesses. So it's not you," she finished resolutely. "It's her."

Todd rubbed his face. Questions were coming to mind that he never thought to ask before — questions he had never dared to ask. "Colette, who is she? I know nothing about her. I know she's a Princess — or at least that's what she's been called so many times but no one is telling me what that means."

Colette sighed deeply once more. "She never told you?"

"No."

She put her face in her hands for a moment, and then lifted her head. "Yes, Annabella is a Princess, the Princess of a dead throne, last in the long line of royals who served the Immortal One until they didn't."

"What do you mean?"

"When Motch attacked and took the Immortal One's throne, King Andre LaKline sided with him, forming a truce. History says he helped Motch purge Desmond, his soldiers raiding the villages and taking the children away. He, in turn, was able to stay in his nice little castle, his own children safe.

"It didn't last, though, because something happened — no one is quite sure what — but one day Motch came, stole away Annabella and her brother, and burned the LaKline palace to the ground. Annabella and her brother were raised as Trainees in the army."

Todd had heard this story, and yet he hadn't put two and two together before. "Wait, Annabella was a Trainee? Like Stephanie?"

"Yeah. So was Alexander, her brother."

Alexander. Annabella had never told him about her brother. "Stephanie mentioned him. Something about a rebellion."

"Alexander started and led the Trainee Rebellion seven years ago. It's how he died. Executed for treason."

"What about Annabella? How'd she end up here?"

"She escaped. I don't know how, but she did. Motch has been hunting her ever since then. He wants her back. If he captured Annabella, well, I'm not sure what that would mean for us."

"Why? How is she important?"

Colette gave him the faintest smile. "Why do you think she's so determined to find the Immortal One's son?"

"Because he'll allegedly save the world?"

"There's more to it than just that." Colette paused, watching him carefully as if gauging his reaction. He didn't at all expect her final revelation. "Annabella is his bride. She's destined to marry the Immortal One's son."